The lights came on in Sanford Stadium for the first time this season, and it was certainly a beautiful sight. The Bulldogs certainly came out ready and for revenge against a South Carolina team who has won 4 out of the last 6 meetings against Georgia. From kickoff to final whistle, the red and black seemed to never take their foot off the gas as they pounded the Gamecocks by a final score of 52-20.
After many questions on the subject of quarterback Greyson Lambert and an inexperienced secondary after a lackluster experience in Nashville, there seemed to be no cause for concern Saturday night. Lambert, quite surprisingly, put all doubters to sleep by finishing 24/25 with 330 yards and 3 touchdown passes. His performance was so remarkable that a completion percentage of 96% broke an NCAA record, in which was held by former Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Many Georgia fans are certainly hoping Lambert’s performance isn’t a fluke and he can continue to put up solid numbers consistently, and put his previous struggles behind him. For the secondary, it seems as if Jeremy Pruitt has mastered how to shut down diminished passing attacks, holding the Gamecocks less than stellar quarterback tandem of Perry Orth and Lorenzo Nunez to 84 total passing yards. That performance by the defensive back core was certainly one of the best we have seen during Pruitt’s tenure here in Athens, but the question remains, can he do it against a top tier team in Alabama in the coming weeks?
Georgia’s running back core operated as usual Saturday night as not only Nick Chubb being up to his usual tricks, but I feel as if Georgia has found a legitimate force of a 1B back in Sony Michel, due to his size, athleticism and versatility to play as a slot receiver, Michel’s versatility was shown Saturday as he finished with one rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, Chubb finishes with 159 yards and two scores in the clobbering of South Carolina. Week after week these running backs continue to show those involved with college football that they rank near the top in the nation, and can be a vital part of Georgia becoming serious contenders.
Saturday’s blowout gives Georgia fans a sense of excitement as there’s a feeling that the 2015 campaign could be a special one. This beat down of an SEC foe was the first one I could remember by such a drastic margin in a very long time. However, lets not get too far ahead of ourselves here as we must see how Georgia fares against an elite opponent in Alabama in only two short weeks. Until then, Georgia gets a bit of a breather as Southern University comes to town this coming weekend. I expect this game to be an opportunity to pad stats, get the reserves a good share of reps, and use as a type of bye week. The biggest issue in these type of games however is injuries, the Bulldogs must use caution this weekend to keep everyone healthy.
brandonsudge 